Candles, matches, torches are you organized??

[justasking111]

Just been out the roads are mad busy, ditto shops. Battening down the hatches I guess. Our house all electric so we're stuffed if the power goes down we're in a red area. But we do have candles, matches and torches so will be hunkering down with a book .

Anyone better prepared

Hmm, I'd not considered the boiler wouldn't work without the electricity! Might have to huddle for warmth! Like I said we're not in the red, also not rural so I'm thinking we'll be ok.

Amber here but all torches charged and I will fill flasks with hot water first thing.

If worst happens, I can dig camping stove out of garage and cook on that.

Let's hope it is not as bad as forecast. I do feel for those in red areas, must be awful just waiting for it.

Our trampoline is already stuck. It is tied up now, even if it doesn’t look like it.

We have a word burner that heats the water so we will still be warm in the event of a power cut.

It’s rural where I am, and on the edge of the red zone. Solar panels will help in the day time (I hope).

doesn't the gas central heating have an electric pump?

We have a gas hob and a woodburner so will beable to heat water/food etc and keep warm, but we are rural so no internet so movie won’t work either.

@Chocoqueen

Moved garden furniture and bbq into the kitchen/diner, located our torches and matches but will get candles diwn tomorrow. Tablet and phone charging though tablet won't get Internet - good point pp had about downloading things to watch. Been and got some ready made formula for DD too, and a few cold meat bits/potato salad so we can have a sort of proper dinner tomorrow night if no power for cooking. Filling up a few bottles of water too just in case. We're only in an Amber area and not particularly rural but fully expecting some sort of power cut/outage.

Please, whatever you do, unless it is a gas BBQ don’t ever use it indoors. If you are using charcoal it gives off toxic and extremely dangerous fumes. My apologies if you already know this but your post made my hair stand on end. I can’t stress enough how bad it is to bring a charcoal BBQ indoors.

@Frlrlrubert

I remember being a kid in the 80s and always having emergency candles and matches under the sink!

I'm just out of the red zone but I have a bit of a scented candle habit so should be good in the event of a power cut.

Our heating is gas so not a problem.

Good luck to those in the red

Gas central heating needs an electric pump though, doesn't it? The heating won't work.

ensure you have some source of battery powered light in every room

My dd has a bit of an LED habit. If we're plummeted into pitch darkness we'll all just head into her room

@Devpatelslaughingeyes I think she meant for storage but yes good point.

For those of you thinking about camping stoves heed the warnings

www.activeweekender.com/use-camp-stove-indoors/#:~:text=Using%20a%20camping%20stove%20indoors,materials%20away%20from%20the%20stove.

Fill as many flasks as possible tonight too. Also maybe have hearing on higher than you usually would (or leave on all night) and then if it goes off the house will retain warmth.
Remember local supermarkets may not be open!
Also make sure you have board games handy - my dc love playing board games by candle light.
Good luck every one!

We are right slap bang in the red zone and have been told to evacuate. We have lived here for 20 years and I think this is the fourth time we've been told to evacuate. Needless to say, we won't be doing so. Quite honestly I have never seen such a bloody fuss about a storm. Being a veteran of both the1987 hurricane and the 1990 Burns day storm, plus the totally horrendous flooding of 2007, there is really nothing left to frighten us. If the roof blows off, so be it, if we flood likewise. Both are unlikely. We have an emergency box with camping stove and kettle, radio, torches, candles etc. We have a multi fuel stove and plenty of tinned food. Heck, we've even got a dinghy!
Just as an aside, we actually had a note through our door telling us to leave. We are not totally convinced this isn't a scam - in the 2007 floods looting of abandoned rural properties was a big problem. Everyone nearby is at home anyway - there has been no exodus. No wind at the moment and the barometer is actually rising a bit. Very strange.

Haven’t heard of anyone being asked to evacuate jus “stay at home” www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60417263

Yes, our power goes down fairly often so I have matches, candles for the hurricane lamps, tea lights, charged torches and plenty of fuel for the wood burner.

What do you do if the roof fall's off?

Or a tree crashes into your house?

We have a tree right outside our front door, what would we do because it's not safe to move anywhere?

Brownlongearedbat I'm glad it's not just me being totally agog at the reaction to this storm. I'm not saying people shouldn't be prepared and it's sensible to be, but I think the screaming 'Code Red' headlines are whipping people up more than the wind will! Storm Arwen was also categorised as red in November but I don't remember such a build up then. Possibly because that was up north? Now the south is being affected it's all Cobra meetings and panic stations! (And I say that as someone who lives in London.)

@Devpatelslaughingeyes Oh no, don't worry! Not planning to use it! It's just small and light and was worried about it blowing away/into a window or something. But I do appreciate your concern 🙂

@MrsTrumpton I can guarantee there was no COBRA meeting for storm Arwen… and recent Storm Corrie was actually more devastating to the same region. But it’s ‘only Scotland’

pandoh just put the candles in a glass jar

There will still be stupid people taking selfies off cliffs or the beach and getting washed out to sea no matter how many warnings there are. Better to over prepare than not do anything. Agree about COBRA but in highly populated areas greater damage to life and buildings. One building crane could take out half tower block. It’s not like rural Scotland where people have open fires and the like. We far less prepared and knock on affe t on services will be huge people calling 999 because have no food etc

Narwhalsh That doesn't surprise me to hear.

@Furrybutts

Apparently so. London is supposed to suffer the worst of it.

London here and ours shows Amber alert for high winds. There isn’t much we can do - we’ve had winds this high before and not had power cuts. Have lived here 23 years now.

However- Will charge power packs, download Netflix (but we have unlimited 5G), and fill a few flasks. Have candles and a couple of torches. Not sure what else we could do - groceries arriving tomorrow evening when winds predicted back down to 20mph.

Lived in the USA and had tornadoes and lives in a skyscraper- the building would rock back and forth, I did not like that - at least now we are close to the ground!

Good luck all

Akire Arwen didn't affect just rural Scotland though, it came down as far as Teeside, which is probably more densely populated than Cornwall. Anyhow, not trying to start an argument, just trying to wrap my head around the reaction. We're meant to be visiting friends in another county tomorrow and still will, trains permitting.

This is how we live October to March every year and then i the summer for some strange reason we loose the tv and radio signal.

@MrsTrumpton

Akire Arwen didn't affect just rural Scotland though, it came down as far as Teeside, which is probably more densely populated than Cornwall. Anyhow, not trying to start an argument, just trying to wrap my head around the reaction. We're meant to be visiting friends in another county tomorrow and still will, trains permitting.

No I know what you mean is certainly is a thing when any disaster gets near London! 6foot snow Scotland not a mention 6cm London headline news.

@Mostlyjustrunning it's the Environment Agency that recommends evacuation - we are on their contact list. So far we have had a phone call and several text messages. We are adjacent to the Severn Estuary.